Chasing Shadows || Draco Malfoy x OC

Year 3- Ch.11

!!T.W.- Physical assault, and bullying!!

Daphne and Tracey headed back to the castle to their common room. When they finally arrived at their dorm the first thing they saw was Céline laying in her bed.

"Where have you been?" Daphne stomped over to Céline. "Tracey and I were waiting for you for three hours!"

Céline sat up and looked up at her friends with a guilty expression. "I'm so sorry.." she looked down to her hand on top of the blanket. "I lost track of time and when I checked my watch, it was well past our agreed time. I didn't think you two would have been waiting for me, so I headed back to the castle..." she fidgeted with her fingers.

"Of course we would have waited, we did wait. Do you know how worried we were about you?" Daphne huffed plopping down on her bed with her arms crossed.

Céline scooted herself closer to Daphne, hooking her arm with hers. Trying to look at her friend's upset face. "I really am sorry, Daph." She looked up to Tracey who had a small frown on her face, "I'm sorry Trac, I'll never do it again. I promise."

There was silence for a moment before Daphne sighed, shaking Céline's arm off and getting up off the bed. "Just don't do it again." She looked over to Céline with a disappointed frown. "At least let us know if something came up, alright? Or if you're busy."

Céline nodded, "I will, I swear."

"Alright, get up." Daphne said, causing Céline to look up at her confused, "it's almost time for dinner."

Céline fidgeted with the blanket, "oh, I'm actually skipping dinner, I'm honestly not feeling that good."

Daphne furrowed her eyebrows, but Tracey spoke, "Is that why you're laying in bed?" She asked in a concerned tone. Céline nodded. "How bad is it? Do you think you need to go to Madame Pomfrey?"

"No, I've had a really bad headache these last couple of hours. Usually when I get a headache I can't really eat." Céline said.

"Alright... well let us know if you need anything. We'll bring something back from the Great Hall." Tracey said to her before the two girls left the room and left Céline alone to her own thoughts.

She sat there for a moment thinking back to earlier today when she was heading to the Three Broomsticks, her Ravenclaw friends, Hannah and Louise, stopped her and asked to talk. Saying they had a question about a transfiguration lesson.

She followed them away from the village into a secluded area. Céline looked at the girl confused, "So, I was actually in a hurry to meet my friends." She checked her watch, it read five minutes till one. "Is this something that can wait until after we get back to the castle?"

The girls stopped and turned to face her, "so I have a cousin that goes to Beauxbaton, she's a fifth year." Hannah spoke up with a smile. Céline stiffens, "I asked about you over the holiday and I found out some interesting stuff."

Céline clenched her fist, before smiling back at them, "Oh really? Who's your cousin?" She tried to sound nonchalant.

"Marie Ann DuPont? She said she knew you." Hannah answered.

Céline's smile falters a little, before composing herself again, "oh.. I didn't know that Marie Ann—"

"We know what happened last year when you were there." Lousie spoke up this time interrupting Céline. "No one liked you, because your mother was a professor there. They said you got special treatment."

Céline frowns at them in confusion, "what? No I never—"

"Oh save it, you thought yourself better than everyone else. Because you're pure-blood, you look down on others. You bullied other students who were muggle born or half-blood." Hannah spoke this time.

Céline shook her head, she was visibly starting to shake, "no that's not it at all. They—"

"And then at the end of last year you pushed a poor student down the grand staircase. I heard she was in st. Mungos for two weeks." Lousie finished off with disgust, but shoving Céline on the shoulder.

She was still shaking her head in disagreement, "I-I didn't do that.." she said meekly, all the memories flooding into her mind. Lousie shoved her again, making her lose her footing and fall to the ground. She then leaned down to her. 

"I don't know what's more disgusting, you doing that or you acting all nice and lovable to everyone, pretending like you didn't just almost kill someone." Louise hissed and straightened out and walked back to her friend.

"Why are you doing this?" Céline asked no louder than a shaky whisper. She felt the welled up tears threatening to spill. "I thought we were friends..."

"Friends?!" Hannah cackled. "You really think anyone isn't wary about being friends with a Slytherin? Slytherins are conniving, rotten, foul little snakes. They are only friends with other Slytherins. No one actually trusts them. Because they will only be nice if there's something that benefits themselves."

"That doesn't explain why you're doing this to me." Céline said as she stood back up, fighting back the urge to cry.

"Well... we could tell the school about the horrid monster you actually are," Hannah said, tapping her finger on her chin.

"Or we can use it to our advantage." Louise smirked and shrugged her shoulders. Céline tried to steady her expression, but the girls could see she was still visibly shaking. "So we thought, when we call on you, you come to us. Wherever and whenever. Do what we ask. "

"If not, then there will be punishments." Hannah laughed.

"I've been trying to tell you that it's not how it happened... You're worse than the Slytherins you describe.." Céline muttered. Instantly she saw one of the girls cast a hex straight to her, so she panicked and looked away, causing a sharp pain on the side of her head. She flew to the ground, hitting her head on the ground hard, which only made the searing pain in her head worse.

She layed in the ground, feeling her vision go fuzzy. She watches as the two girls step over her in a blur. "Punishment... for talking back." One of them said, Céline couldn't tell who.

"How dare you call us worse than Slytherin." The other said. Before leaving her there on the ground. Céline, unable to speak due to the immense pain in her head, closed her eyes as her world turned dark.